


Eye of Horus, Eye of Ra

by Felidae5



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, M/M, Minor Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, mentionings of DSOD, mentonings of Ancient Egypt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2020-06-26 02:28:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19758730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felidae5/pseuds/Felidae5
Summary: By unearthing and joining the Sennen items at the end of DSOD, Kaiba set loose a turn of events, he could not have foreseen. And by traveling through time, he breached the laws of physics, of nature and a barrier long forgotten.This is the aftermath.The prelude.And the outcome.





	1. Heka

_Heka_

Ishizu felt it first; a shift, a tremble in the air, the atmosphere.  
Swallowing hard, she hurried through the catacombs of her home, searching for her brother.  
Instead, she came upon Rishid, who stood there, his usually dark bronze complexion a faint copper.  
"You felt it too, didn't you."  
It was a statement, not a question, and he nodded.  
"But -how? The current avatar is more than capable to keep his light safe, so why the sudden awakening?" Rishid mumbled.  
Ishizu shook her head.  
"I do not know. But we must stop it, before it is too late. We can not allow it to return. It is not the time nor place."  
Rishid regared her with a solemn glance.  
"Tell me, sister, has there ever been such a thing?"  
Ishizu retained her answer.

For the fourth time in two month he cut his hair.  
While he knew that he was going through a growth spurt, this was ridiculous.  
His sudden leap in height and width had forced him to buy a completely new wardrobe.  
What with him now working two steady jobs was no longer that big of an issue, it still put a strain on his tight budget.  
Sighing, Jou drove the clothes roller over his black button down shirt, then slipped into his favourite new green blazer.  
Combined with a simple, dark indigo pair of slacks and black fake leather loafers gave the impression that, though he hadn't made it yet, he was upwardly mobile.  
Jounouchi gave a small grin; one year since he last parted ways with his friends. Two years after graduation, and somehow he found himself settling into adulthood a lot faster and smoother than he had anticipated.  
Then again, considering his history..  
Glancing at his watch, he realized he had ample time before meeting his friends at the kissaten.  
Still, work life had taught him to be punctual, so he grabbed his keys, threw a quick goodbye over his shoulder at his father, who was dozing on the couch, and was on his way downtown.

"Anzu, you look great!" exclaimed Honda, and the others agreed.  
She had grown taller, slimmer, and her once short brown hair had grown out and been expertly layered and curled.  
Smiling, she thanked them politely before turning her attention on her long-distance boyfriend Yuugi.  
Yuugi, who after a brief coalition with Kaiba Corp had decided to design and develop his game independently(rumours of nepotism among the business world had forced him to make that secession), let his eyes roam affectionately over his love, before turning to Ryou.  
The shy Brit had obviously taken a page from Bakura's book; though still as polite and humble as before, he decidely had a more mischievious sparkle to his eyes and also made his presence known, instead of trying to disappear into the panneling. The man bun he sported also spoke volumes of his gain in self-confidence.  
"Ja, how's that game of yours coming along?" asked Honda, setting down his beer. The brunet still looked very much the same, save for his hair which he now wore in a popular quiff/pompadour fashion with trimmed sides.  
Yuugi smiled, amethyst eyes shimmering.  
"Great. If we keep up and the tests prove to be successfull, we might even be able to go into production as early as october."  
Jounouchi, who had been mesmerized by the undercut his best friend was obviously quite comfortable with, blinked.  
"Wait, that means..you might actually make it in time for Christmas sales?"  
The tri-colour haired man nodded enthusiastically.  
"Hai, also the ads department is ready to launch the moment they get the signal. We have six different versions for promotion, depending on the release date."  
His friends congratulated in genuine glee, then Anzu turned to face Jounouchi.  
"Ja, and what are you up to these days, Jou?"  
The blond merely shrugged.  
"Ne, same old; working backoffice at a travel agency and serving tables, while being a part-time wedding performer."  
Four pairs of brows shot up.  
"Wedding performer? What do you perform?", asked Ryou. The blond winked and smiled.  
"I strip."  
"Nani?!?" came the horrified choir, even as Jounouchi chuckled, before flashing them a wide grin.  
"Just kidding. I sing covers of Western Pop and Rock classics plus a couple traditional wedding songs and even one or two Enka. But your faces were priceless."  
Anzu slumped back into her seat, forehead placed in her palm.  
"Ne, Jounouchi, don't do that. For a moment there you actually had me scared."  
Jou gave her a level glance.  
"What, you don't think I look good enough to strip."  
Anzu pursed her lips.  
"That's not what I meant and you now-"  
"When I get that feeling..I need- sexual heeaaling", intoned Jounouchi which made Honda and Ryou erupt in laughter. Anzu went deep red even as Yuugi scowled and snapped,  
"Stop flirting with my girlfriend, Jounouchi-kun."  
Jou merely winked good-naturedly at him.  
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna steal your girl. Besides, she's not really my type."  
Jounouchi could have slapped himself the second the words left his mouth.  
Never, never, ever tell a girl she's 'not your type', even if she's with someone else.  
_Especially_ if she's with someone else.  
Anzu's eyes grew cold, even as the other three males winced.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked cooly.  
Jounouchi made a vague handmotion.  
"Jaaa, you know..just a little..ehrmm...more..I mean less..uhh.."  
Ok, it was his life on the line now. If he didn't come up with something good-  
"Less ambitious. Not quite as career-driven."  
"Oh."  
Anzu deflated.  
Honda added,  
"Hai, good old Jounouchi here is more on the lookout for the stay-at-home type; making Yudofu, looking after their babies..ain't I right, man?"  
It was Jounouchi's turn to blush, as he stammered,  
"Uh, ja, well, I mean.."  
Ryou chimed in.  
"Well, I can't do anything about the babies part, but I'd be ever so happy to play wifey to a big, strong hunk such as yourself, Jounouchi." He practically threw himself at the blond, who blushed even more before pushing the white-haired bishie off his shoulder.  
"Get away from me, you freak", he groused with a smile. Ryou feigned offense, then grinned.  
"Takes one to know one, am I right?"  
Yep, definetly some Bakura in there.  
"Ne, minna-san, whatcha say. The arcade, for old times sake?" opted Honda, even as he rose and picked up the tab.  
The others agreed, there was a curt shuffling for jackets and bags, then the group proceeded towards the entrance.  
Jou scratched the back of his head; he felt a slight tingeling sensation, the same when his hair began to grow...  
His world went black and he fell face-first onto the tiled floor.

Professor Arthur Hopkins looked up from the various tomes and foliants cluttering his large oak desk.  
With a tired sigh, he removed his glasses and wiped a wrinkled hand over his face.  
Gazing at the withered limb, he mumbled,  
"We knew it, didn't we, Sugoroku? Even if we weren't aware of the Shadow Games and all the attached horror, we knew..we knew. But we were young and foolish and proud, then. And now, the arrogance of youth has once more brought about..about.."  
He shook his head, then reached for his phone.  
Hopefully, the Ishtars had already left for Domino.  
It was so much harder these days to get through to their Egyptian hometown.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Heka is the god of medicine and magic; as well as the primordial force behind creation itself.  
For more, see here: https://www.ancient.eu/Heka/  
http://egyptian-gods.org/egyptian-gods-heka/  
https://www.britannica.com/topic/heka


	2. Tefnut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story will be dabbing heavy into ancient Egyptian mythology. Every chapter is named after a deity which best represents its contents. Thus said, on with the story.

_Tefnut_

He awoke with a pounding headache.  
And a face that felt as if he had tried to crack concrete with.  
Letting his eyes roam around disorientedly, he then rose his hand to look at it.  
Ever since finishing high school, his whole body had continuously began to develop more mass.  
At first he thought that, with the extra money he made buying him the nutritions he had lacked before, his body was merely catching up.  
But now..  
Jounouchi began to dislike his own stature.  
He hoped that he wouldn't grow to be as tall as Kaiba or even his father; extra-sized clothes were insanely expensive in Japan.  
He closed his eyes...  
"Ne, Jounouchi, daijoubu ka?"  
His brown orbs snapped open to gaze at the speaker.  
True enough, there sat Honda, legs crossed and sporting a serious expression.  
Jou sat up, still sluggish.  
"How long was I out?" he asked. Honda shrugged his shoulders.  
"About an hour or two. I told the others to go home, since it was getting stuffy in here."  
Dark brown eyes grew even more concerned.  
"So, what happened in there?"  
Jou shrugged his shoulders, even as he attempted to leave the bed.  
"I dunno. I've been getting this fainting spells for a while now."  
Honda's eyes narrowed.  
"Define a while."  
Jou drew a deep breath.  
"About an year or so."

Striding purposefully through the deserted halls, Ishizu made her way to the head curator's office. Throwing open the large oak door, she breezed past Kaiba, who stood there impatiently, pulled out the chair and, eleganly plopping down into the leather cushions, declared,  
"We need to talk."  
Kaiba Seto merely raised a brow.  
"Ja, good day to you too, Ishta-"  
"Do not insult me with your mock pleasantries!" she snapped, swiping some documents to one side of her desk before placing a somewhat hapazardly looking folder onto the writing mat.  
"You have caused indescribable damage with your transgressions, Seto!"  
The second brow followed.  
"Mou itte?"  
Dark sapphire eyes flashed dangerously.  
"Unterring and reuniting the Sennen items. Disturbing the pharao in his rest, just to sate your insane obsession. Traveling through time for your petty revenge. Should I continue?"  
Azure eyes narrowed in return.  
"I still fail to understand why you had to call in an emergency meeting with me to discuss my personal live-"  
"Your overzealousness has reopened the gates between realities. Because your ego has grown to the point where it has begun to consume you, you have reawoken a being that was supposed to stay dormant until the end of days."  
Kaiba gave a dismissive, mute snort.  
"Let me guess; I have reawoken Zorc. Or the Jabberwocky. Or even better, how about Shuten Douji-"  
Ishizu said one single word.  
And Kaiba paused.

"Foolish old men," muttered Muutou Sugoroku under his breath,  
"foolish old men. But then, men have always been fools, ne?"  
He rummaged some more through his memorabilia, until he discovered a tiny, gold shimmering pectoral adorned with garnets and amethysts surrounding a ruby; the fine jewelry displaying what seemed to be the eye of Horus.  
"We knew it. And we were so wrong. So, so wrong."  
He straightened, then pressed his hand against his lower back.  
For several moments, he just stood there, trying to calm his breathing and will away the pain. When he opened his eyes, they were lined with unshed tears.  
"And now, we are so, so old. And our foolishness might cost us our offspring. Our very future."  
He turned to the door and began the straining, tedious climb down the attic stair.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Having never written either Sugoroku nor the majority of the cast I'm using here, they might come off slightly OOC. Please be lenient, arigatou.

Tefnut: goddess of moisture and the lower atmosphere, sister to Atum, mother of earth and sky.


	3. Fetket/Shezmu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyday life and not-so-everyday life, it all happens next to one another.

_Fetket/Shezmu_

Jounouchi stood in his appartment; legs one step apart, arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.  
"I don't care. You can come with me, or you can stay here. Either way, I'm leaving."  
Sunken in, soft green-brown eyes, shaggy, red-streaked blond hair, massive shoulders and a strong jaw...  
Jounouchi Haruto had clearly passed his looks to both his children. Sadly enough, aside of his temper, he had given them neither his cunning, the brilliant mathematical mind nor the silver tongue which had saved him on more than one occasions from serious trouble.  
But it was exactly his mathematic prowess which had landed him in debt and separated the family.  
Being able to calculate the rotation rythm of almost any roulette wheel in his head had made him reckless, and counting cards came instinctively, passively, like a botanist can't help catalogueing the various species of plants and trees they pass whilst walking through a brush.  
This had of course enabled him to make ridiculous amounts of money, but also drawn the attention of the wrong kind of people.  
And then had come the alcohol.

Katsuya gazed at his father; determinded to not give in this time.  
Finally, Jounouchi senior deflated and, driving one slender, rough hand over his faded features, sighed,  
"Doko ni?"  
Katsuya's jaw worked.  
"Higasa-choume.°"  
Pale brown brows shot up.  
"Seriously."  
Katsuya nodded, and his father sighed.  
"Ikko ni."  
The blond smiled; a huge, warm smile the elder man had not seen in years.

Ryou awoke with a start.  
He had dozed off mid-studying, leaned over his desk.  
Holding his head to shake off the cobwebs, he scowled in frustration.  
Ever since he had started sharing a body with is yami Bakura, shreds, remnants of this one's memories had found their way into his subconciousness.  
There was fire, hatred, fear, terror, betrayal, loss and blood.  
Rivers and rivers of blood.  
Though, this memory had been..different.  
As if it did not belong to the others.  
Somehow..disconnected..displaced.  
Ryo frowned.  
Perhaps this was from a later time, not necessarily Kul Elna.  
Frowning, he decided to call it a night; there was no point in trying to force any valuable information into his head.  
He stood from his desk and made his way to the bathroom, never once noticing the single driplet of crimson on its surface.

It was bizzare, really.  
The desk was cluttered with scrolls, tomes, artefacts, photos, jewelry and even a tiny canopy. All the while Ishizu was speaking into her earpiece, gathering information and linking up her research findings.  
"And here, in the early eightteenth dynasty, under Amenhotep l, in the temple of Sai, there are references to-"  
"Yes, but these had been refuted, remember? Besides, we still have to take into consideration-"  
"Wait wait wait," interrupted Marik,"I thought Professor Hopkins just said that during the First Intermediate Period the line broke apart, according to the findings in Meydum."  
"Yes, but Sai is the best lead we have so far," replied his sister, "except Muutou-san can shed some light on the enscriptions from the pyramid of Teti..."  
"Not really, but combined with what Arthur discovered about the stele in Heliopolis, I think we're on a good trail."  
"Still, the timelines don't add up. Even if the Sennen items date from the second dynasty, the pectoral is clearly from before the first. Meaning, either the scrolls are wrong-"  
"They are incomplete", whispered Ishizu in a flat tone.  
"We are not looking at some missing scrolls or books, but an entire dynasty that has gone missing."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Ancient Egypt has so far been categoized into thirty-one dynasties; from predynastic up to Roman times. For details on the names and sites used in this chapter, go here:  
https://www.crystalinks.com/egyptdynasties.html

°Higasa-choume: Umbrella district..yeah, I know, sounds silly, but I liked it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fetket is the butler of Ra, who serves the sun god his drinks and is the patron of all bartenders.  
> Shezmu is the god of wine, plenty, oil and perfumes; personification of the good and bad aspects of drunkenness.  
> He is also depicted as a tormentor of the damned, squeezing their heads like grapes in a press until their destruction


	4. Beset

_Beset_

"But I want to!"  
Professor Hopkins sighed. Steeling himself inwardly, he gazed down at his granddaughter Rebbecca, who stared back with utter determination.  
God, she looked so much like her mother. For a moment, he almost wavered, but then resumed his inner strength.  
"No, Rebecca. You are meant to stay here and take care of the institute in my absence. There is no room for arguement, am I understood." Rebecca, now sixteen and fresh out of college, glared some more.  
"The insitute can run without either us for a couple of weeks. They can text, mail, skype, tweet or just call if need be. I want to come along! I want to help-"  
"No, Rebecca!" barked Hopkins.  
"I am putting my foot down this time. I need you here, in case I have to send you abroad for further researches."  
The blond graduate simmered, but before she could open her mouth-  
"I know you miss Yuugi and the others. But remember, they are all in college or working now, themselves. And if I am correct in my assumptions, there will be no time whatsoever for any reunion parties. Plus, I doubt you will be able to think astutely with Yuugi around."  
The young girl blushed furiously.  
"I-a-so-I mean-but-and-"  
"And besides, as you are very well aware, Yuugi is well involved with Anzu Mazaki. You wouldn't want to disrupt his happiness, now would you?"  
Long, blond bangs hid the now entirely different blush. Professor Hopkins regarded the embarassed teen, then took pity on her. Patting her head(when had she become so tall that he had to reach up so high to do so?), he conciled,  
"Rebecca, I know how much you like Yuugi. Which is part of the reason I don't want you to come along. You would be too distracted around him. I need you as keen and sharp as possible. Plus," he rose one index finger,  
"you still have to finish that PHD thesis Cambridge has been asking about. Remember?"  
This time, Rebbecca visibly flinched.  
"Oh rats; I totally forgot! But, if I get it done before tomorrow, may I come along?"  
Hopkins drew a deep breath.  
"No. And that's final."

"She put up quite a fight, ne?" chuckled Sugoroku. Arthur smiled tiredly into his cell.  
"All the way to the gate. I was concerned they would arrest her." His tone changed.  
"Please tell me it is not what I think it is."  
The line remained silent for several moments.  
"I wish, with all my heart, that I could lie to you and say it's not."  
Hopkins closed his eyes.  
"What have we done, 'Roku? What did we do?"  
Sugoroku, sounding older than his years, muttered,  
"The question is, what do we do _now_?"  
Arthur Hopkins shut off his phone after a curt good-bye, as the belts-on signal lit up.

Grumbling under his breath, Jounouchi shrugged into his vintage yukata.  
He hated, when they called him in last minute. It always put a dent in his work schedule, plus, less than three hours to get to the place, change and rehearse? What was he, a J-Pop idol?  
The blond was less than pleased, as he struggled with the koshihimo°. A few expert wraps as he tied the slender cotton belt around his slim hips-  
"Koko ni! I thought I'd missed you!" called an all too familiar voice. Jou froze mid-move, then stared confusedly at the end of the paravent which served as a make-shift dressing room. True enough, there was a familar mop of silverblond hair approaching. Ryou came to a stop in front of the baffled Jou, then, hands resting on his knees, the Brit panted,  
"Glad- huh-I got to-huh-see you be-before your-huh-performance."  
Jou merely stared dumbly at his friend.  
"Bakura, what on earth are ya doing here? How did you even know I was working this gig?" he mumbled. Ryou straightened and flashed him a grin that easily outdid his own.  
"Simple. I recommended you. The groom is actually my former roommate."  
Jou was still staring uncomprehendingly at the sight of Ryou sporting a rather fashionable pale lilac Tsukesage+ kimono with matching teal obi and a fan.  
Balancing elegantly on a pair of oak geta, the fairer blond looked like something out of a fancy lady's magazine.  
Jou swallowed dryly, then muttered,  
"Ryou, you look so good, I could gobble you up with a spoon."  
The other male beamed.  
"Really? You think so?" Jounouchi shook his head.  
"Nyeh, not really. Here, help me with this oversized cummerbund; I'm running late as it is."  
"Fine, fine," pouted Ryou, as he helped the would-be performer fold the obi in half.  
He gave a puzzled frown.  
"How come you of all people know what a cummerbund is?"  
Jou merely huffed.  
"Trust me. You dont. Want. To. Know."  
Taking in consideraton their history, Ryou decided that for once ignorance might be bliss.

"Ne, o-nii-sama, how ya doing? Everything a-okey over there?"  
Kaiba supressed a groan.  
"Mokuba, how often have I told you to speak properly. Just because you spend more time overseas than I do, does not mean that their vocabulary slaughter should rub off on you."  
Black brows shot up.  
"Sheesh, whoever spit in your miso? Tax administration been rubbing you the wrong way?"  
His brother rolled his eyes.  
"Trust me, that would be preferable."  
Mokuba blinked.  
Argueing with the tax administration office was better than what his ani was facing?  
"Seto-nii, what's going on over there?"  
This time Kaiba couldn't help the sigh.  
"I'd rather not discuss this over the phone. Things are a bit..complicated."  
"Define complicated."  
There was an audible pause, then,  
"The Ishtars are back. All of them."

Jounouchi was really good at this.  
Ryou sat with the other single men(they had almost seated him among the unmarried women) and jeered his friend on. At first, the dove-eyed student had thought Jou would just about massacre every song on the list, but, as he soon found out, the former duelist had made good use of his gaijin roots and seriously stepped up on his English. Currently, he was doing a rendition of Proud Mary(the groom's mother's request) and everybody was genuinely impressed by it. The song ended, and a sly, naughty grin crept across Jounouchi's features even as the next one opened. Ryou sweatdropped; what on earth had his friend planned..?  
He almost wet himself, when Jou pointed his finger at him and sang,  
"Another red letter day, so the pound has dropped and the children are creating..."  
Chocolate brown eyes widened in fear as Jounouchi, giving a quite accurate Freddie Mercury performance, sauntered along the rows of the gathered, shaking hands here, giving bows there, unerringly homed in on his prey.  
Ryou felt his left eye twitch the same way it did whenever his yami had come up with some hairbrained idea or another. Golden eyes pinned him in place, as Jounouchi offered him his hand and, pulling the fair-headed Brit up and close to his side, belted out the last chorus in a warm, inviting crescendo. Before lifting him up single-handedly and whirling him around like a mannequin.  
There was no way on earth Ryou would ever live this down.

"-to Chubu International Airport. Please do not leave your luggage unattended at any time. We.."  
Professor Hopkins gazed around; Muutou Sugoroku was supposed to pick him up.  
It had been rather inconvenent; due to bad weather most flights to both Narita and Haneda had been cancelled, meaning the usually less frequented airport south of Nagoya was now bursting at it seams.  
Trying to make out his friend among the clusters of people, he craned his neck; coat draped over his left arm as he clung tightly to his trolley and suitcase...  
"Well, I'll be!" exclaimed a youthful voice to his side.  
"If it isn't Professor Hopkins in person. Whatever brings you to our side of the world?"  
The old man turned his head toward the speaker. In front of him stood a tall young man, a teen really, with a hairdo that looked as if a bird had tried to make a nest in the raven locks, just to be interrupted by a lawnmower that had clipped the surroundings into a kind-of crew cut. Hopkins stared at the youngster; though there was something familiar about his eyes, he couldn't really place him.  
"I beg your pardon, have we met?" he asked. For a moment, the other one was baffled, then threw back his head and laughed.  
"Of course you won't recognize me. Last time we saw each other was at the Grand Championship, four years ago." The teen grinned widely, then, offering a hand, relayed,  
"I'm Mokuba. Kaiba Mokuba."  
"Of course!" exclaimed the professor, taking the other one's hand and shaking it enthusiastically.  
"Kaiba Seto's younger brother. My, how time flies! Look at you, you're almost as tall as your brother."  
Mokuba grinned anew.  
"And still growing -but don't tell ani, he has kind of an issue with me growing up."  
Arthur nodded sympathetically.  
"Of course, of course, as much as we love to see our young ones grow up, we yet desire them to remain children, so we can protect them better."  
"Sou desu, ne," came a slight croaky voice from behind them, "but sometimes keeping them safe can become overbearing and stop them from making their own mistakes and experiences."  
Athur turned around, a warm, whimsical smile in place.  
"True, but some mistakes should not be repeated by either generation. Or at all." He wraped an arm around the hunched shoulder of his best friend and rasped quietly,  
"We have to save them from themselves, 'Roku. Even if it means our own lives."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Finally decided on a direction for Arthur and Sugoroku. I'll try an approach similar to Yuugi and Jou's. And I still can't stand Rebecca...

Beset, the female aspect of Bes, invoked for ceremonial magic. Also fends off dark magic, demons and evil spirits  


°koshihimo: small cotton belt to kep a yukata, respecively men's kimono in place  
+Tsukesage: a less formal kimono usually worn by both married and unwed women -hence Ryou being stacked among the ladies. Here's an example:https://i.pinimg.com/736x/52/b9/85/52b9850cff505fa685e392d1a7fc0001--flowering-trees-tree-branches.jpg


	5. Bastet

_Bastet_

Anyone else would have repeatedly beaten their head against the desk at this point.  
Alas, it was in neither Ishtar Ihizu's nature nor upbringing to express her frustration in such an undignified manner.  
Instead, she drew several deep breaths, counted backwards from ten in Ancient Egyptian, Phoenecian, Hittian and then repeated the procedure. Both her brother and cofidant gave her worried looks.  
"Sister, are you feeling alright?" asked Malik timidly. Rishid decided to keep silent.  
Another deep breath, the almost inscrutable clenching of elegant, copper-skinned hands, and Ishizu had regained her regalness.  
"Yes, I am, although this is a rather dire drawback we have come across." She rubbed her forehead tiredly.  
"All this time I was lead to believe that Bakura's spirit had been locked within the Sennen ring. Now I learned that the thief's spirit has been expelled and sent to face the Forty-Two Judges. Despite his evil heart, he might have provided us with crucial information."  
Rishid started.  
"The Thief King? How in Ra's name would he have been able to help us?" Ishizu turned to face him.  
"Kul Elna was something akin to a magical apex. But it isn't the Shadow Magic it harbored I'm interested in, but Bakura's recollection of the happenings before the genocide. The everyday life of his people; their rituals, main deities, history, anything."  
Malik shook his head.  
"I don't see what that could have helped us." Ishizu sighed.  
"Kul Elna was built upon an older settlement, one that probably saw the dawn of the First Dynasty. It would have been our best chance to gain knowledge as to how Kul Elna became a supernatural, dimensional nexus. But without Bakura..."  
She shook her head and Rishid wrapped her in his arms. For a moment, both Malik and Ishizu froze at the tall man's uncharacteristic behaviour, then the tired woman relaxed.  
"Take a rest, dear sister. You have barely slept since we arrived here, and we are meeting with Professor Hopkins and Mister Muutou in a few hours. Sleep a little, we will wake you up when they arrive." Rishid gave her a warm, caring smile.  
Ishizu gave a deep sigh.  
"You're right, of course. But the time..there is so little time.."

Ryou lurched forward, throwing up everything he had eaten the past two days.  
Over and over again, his stomach's contents found their way in the porcelain bowl; his slender body shaking and trembling with the effort.  
Finally, the ordeal was over, and the white-haired Brit sank to the floor.  
What was happening to him?

Jounouchi Haruto shook his unconcious son.  
Not for the first time had he witnessed the young man pass out mid-sentence or come home to find him crumpled on the floor.  
The first couple of times had been short, sparse, seeming like spells of exhaustion, lack of sleep or drunkenness taking their toll.  
But the intermittences had gradually grown shorter and shorter, even as Katsuya's black-outs had grown more severe and longer lasting.  
This time it took almost two hours for the blond to open his eyes. Obviously fighting against vertigo, he tried to sit up and groaned.  
"Kuso, if this keeps up, I can kiss my job good-bye."  
His father merely gave a heavy sigh.

Kaiba bristled, Mokuba smirked. The CEO threw the hearer back on the set and cursed like a drunk redneck.  
"Ja, first time I heard the term dartos used in that context. Very intriguing, for sure. Also very revealing", quipped Mokuba. Seto merely glowered at him.  
"Sometimes the sheer audacity of people is mind-boggling. That was Professor Hopkins on the phone, asking for an appointment."  
Mokuba nodded.  
"Hai, I ran into him and Muuto-san at the airport. They mumbled something about experiences or mistakes not to be made by either generation."  
Kaiba growled sourly.  
"Mistakes such as counting on my goodwill to help a couple of babbling old coots with some Ancient Egyptian magical nonsense. I don't care if Ishtar says-"  
"Matte, matte, matte," Mokuba butted in, "Ishizu called in Hopkins and Muutou-san? _And_ her two brothers? And they're all _here_?"  
His ani scoffed.  
"Apparently they set up shop in Ishtar's office, tinkering around with scrolls and artefacts and what not more. They all believe that my travel through time somehow disruptured the fabric of reality and now some goddess or another might sneak through into our world."  
Twin archs of black shot up.  
"A goddess? Honto ni? She got a name or something?"  
Kaiba sneered.  
"Sekhmet."

Jounouchi was trying to smooth-talk his friends into helping him move.  
Normally, btween him and his father there would hav been enough bulk to manage by themselves, but the elder Jounouchi did not trust his son's fainting spells.  
Thus, Katsuya was now sitting in their favourite ramen joint and pleaded for a helping hand. Putting up his most charming smile -a deadly weapon, banned in several countries- he purred,

"I'm sure my friends wouldn't mind helping a friend in his hour of need, ne? Especially if said friend is almost an invalide."  
He grinned even wider, and Honda groaned.  
"Fine, fine, I'll be there. Yuug' how about you?"  
The other man nodded.  
"Hai. Though, I'll come a bit earlier because I can only stay until three."  
Jou waved off.  
"No Prob, shouldn't take longer than until four."  
"I'm in, too" Ryou piped up. Three sets of eyes stared at him. The Brit shrugged.  
"Shirimasu, I don't look like it, but I've been working out ever since I went back to England. I actually got some muscles on me, now."  
"So desu," griped Jounouchi, "you mean aside of your wagging tongue?"  
Ryou gasped in mock horror as the others cracked up.  
A smirk and half-lidded look adorned his features when he leaned forward and purred,  
"Wouldn't you just love to know what I can to with this tongue?"  
Jou mimicked his expression, resting his chin on the back of his left hand.  
"Ja, and what, oh pray tell, could that be?"  
Honda and Yuugi watched the heated, mute exchange, then the brunet snarked,  
"Ok, get a room, you two."  
Jounouchi's smirk widened, when he replied,  
"Not necessary."  
Golden eyes flashed at Ryou.  
"Get naked."  
Yuugi and Honda's jaws dropped to the floor even as Ryo's forehead connected with the table. Rubbing his sore brow, the platinum-blonde huffed,  
"Do you always have to be so -crass?"  
Jou leaned back in his chair, triumphantly.  
"I win." His smirk turned just a touch smug.  
"Note to you: don't mess with the master perv."  
Yuugi winced, Honda facepalmed and Ryou..decided not to argue.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
All the major players have arrived on scene, let the play begin...

Bastet: goddess of fertility, home, child birth, cats, women's secrets and one of the most popular of Egyptian deities  
Sekhmet: warrior goddess and protector of all pharaohs; a bloodthirsty deity also associated with winds, plagues and the removal of these.


	6. He, Hauet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lengthy chapter, and a touch of...

_6 He, Hauet_

Kaiba gazed at the artefact before him.  
It was not the granite plate which had once encased the pharao's tomb, but from a different, far later dynasty.  
Instead of the ruler's image, the engravings showed He and Hauet, the two deities representing eternity and infinity. Hauet on the left, He on the right side of the oddly shaped collumn, facing each other. The seven Sennen items were embedded into the polished onyx surface.  
At the very top, as represent of the sky, resided the chain, followed by the ring, supposed to sympolise the sun. He, the frog-headed god carried the rod while Hauet's serpent face appeared to take no notice of the ankh she held.  
Both had extended one hand to support the scale, over which the eye of Horus had been carved into the black stone; the Sennen eye staring down at him from its red-tinted hold. The puzzle finally nested between the deities' knees.  
Kaiba frowned.  
Had it really been only little over an year since he had mounted the Sennen intems onto the pillar of Renpet? It seemed so long ago.  
The brunet couldn't help but smirk; it had been a long time ago. After his final defeat at the hands of Atemu, he had found a certain sense of closure, and decided to have his dimensional traverser system dismantled for safety's measure.  
So, why had he kept the items? The dark, engraved slate?  
Kaiba gazed at the seven treasures as if searching for answers.  
The Sennen items glistened, but remained silent.

Heat, the fire, the fire was closing in on him...  
"Nauefeeet! Nefeeer! Heeelp!"  
He was coughing, his eyes bruning from smoke and then-  
a scream-hacking sounds- screams-laughter-gurgling-crackling-cracking-more screams-fire-fire-thuds, drums, slapping of feet, smell of burnt flesh-  
Ryou screamed himself awake.  
He screamed until he ran out of air, until his throat grew red and raw.  
And he still screamed inside his head, when his body had long succumbed to broken sobs.

The unmistakeable sound of ripping fabric made Jounouchi pause.  
Then wince.  
And sweatdrop.  
Great.  
There went another one of his favourite tees.  
At this rate he would have to start ordering online from US retailers in order to find clothes that fit.  
Slipping out of the t-shirt, he inspected the damage. Nothing too grievous, and at a well hidden place. He would just sow an extra strip of similar fabric into the rim and no one would be none the wiser.  
Jou sighed. Perhaps he should open a sewing shop; he was getting rather good at fixing such things, too.

He glanced down at the golden sand, wiggling his naked toes in it. The sun stood high in the sky, but it was not glaring, for Sothis had returned and the Nile brought his blessings.  
His head had been shaved bald, as requested for The Ceremony. Once the ritual was completed, his naked scalp would be adorned with a wig made from silk, finest linen, strands of hair of the pharao, his wife and high court and wool gained from the excess fur of the temple's sacred cats.  
He stood naked, save for the bracelets wound around his wrists, upper arms and ankles, which jingled quietly with his every move.  
"Come, little one. It is time. Soon your ba° will receive the ka* of the One That Protects you." Darkened brown gazed quizzically at the priestess; kohl making the expressive eyes even larger. Smiling, the young woman lead him inside the temple to a pedestal and bade him to stand still.  
Another priest appeared, a bronze bowl and small malachite bottle in hand. From the darkness beyond the fire brazier the sound of a sistrum could be heard.  
He looked at the priestess, who took the phial and begun pouring cedar oil over his head. Startled, he stood frozen, even as the woman returned the phial to the priest, reached into the bowl and retrieved a soft linen cloth. Infused with catnip and scented with lotus flower, the cool water was dabbed on his arms, chest, legs and back. The priest bowed and retreated.  
A tiny bell sounded seven times. A single flute echoed in answer, followed by the soft beating of a drum. The priestess rose her arms and incanted,  
"We call upon thee, father of the sun, brother of Isis and Osiris, and ask for your benevolence and guidance, oh great Ra. The Powerful Female's vessel has entered your servant's house and been made aware of its duties. Show us, if this is the child you have blessed or if we must recommence our search, our stryfe."  
He listened, but everything remained silent. Again, the priestess smiled. The priest returned, carrying a golden tray. Delicate, nigh on tiny, the jar, gobelet, bowl, spoon, cup, forceps and saucer had been crafted to account for his small size. The priest bowed, the priestess returned the bow. She reached for the foceps and turned to him. Gently, she pushed the ivory tool past his lips and parted them. Advising him to keep his mouth open, she rinsed the forceps in the small cup filled with belladonna-laced water. She shook the pincer seven times, then took a small, gold-white sugar plum from the bowl and placed it on the saucer. Once more, she faced him and fed him the sweet using the intricately crafted golden, bejeweled spoon.  
The sweet was both soft and hard; he tasted camphor, honey, licorice, mint and thyme. He suckled and chewed; the flavours filling his senses.  
Francincense and myrrh wafted through the air, making his head swim and his eyelids heavy. The priest offered the priestess a small box made of cypress wood and ebony, and she opened it gracefully. He blinked at the glistening of gold, red, pink and blue, and a soothing calm flodded his being, as the priestess fastened the chain made of lathed lion teeth around his neck and properly arranged the miniscule pectoral.  
The soft song of the sistrum rearose and then broke off.

"Ok, Yuug' you're going in the car with outou-san and the small stuff. Honda and I will take care of the heavy furniture, Ryou, you take the boxes and chairs and small furniture."  
The van stood in front of the house, white and prim and somehow unfittig in the run-down neighbourhood.  
It was the smallest one avaiable, then again, the Jounouchi household didn't have that many things to be moved. On the way to their new home they would pass by a retailer and get the two new futons Katsuya had purchased(the wedding performance had been an uncanny success and requests kept pouring in), and then continue to their new home.  
Three rooms, bathroom complete with laundry mashine and dryer, modernized kitchen, balcony, ten minutes walk to Domino Park. A clean, friendly neighbourhood with no shootings, robberies, break-ins or gang wars.  
When Honda first walked in that day, he made a full stop. Eyes wide as saucers, he took in the place, then whistled low.  
"Damn, this place is amazing," he rasped "if you ever need a roomie, call me, pal." Jounouchi senior, who had followed behind him, grinned.  
"No chance, bon, not even if you pay the full rent."  
Hiroto scowled, the turned to Kasuya.  
"Ne, how much does this flat cost?" The blond, who was smiling at both Yuugi's and Ryou's baffled expressions, replied,  
"Ja, a forty grand more than the old place. And worth every Yen."  
Honda cocked a brow.  
"Forty-thousand? That's a steal." Katsuya nodded.  
"So desu, ne. That's because outou-san here," he gave his father a friendly slap on the shouder,  
"volunteered to be janitor. And I'll be stand-in, of course."  
It was Ryou's turn to frown.  
"But then you'll be working -four jobs at once. Don't you think you're stretching yourself a little thin?"  
Katsuya shook his head.  
"It's just another year, then I'll have enough money saved up to attend evening classes and  
get a bachelor's degree in hotel industry."  
Three pairs of eyes stared incredulously at him. It was Ryou who spoke up first.  
"Hotel..industry? Are you sure, you got the needed on-hand experience for that?"  
Katsuya shrugged easily.  
"Sure. Being front desk helps my communicational and linguistic competences, being a performer hones my abilities to deduce my customers' wishes and ways to best meet them, and working in a restaurant gets me in close contact with the gastronomic side of business."  
He smirked, a grin that was mirrored by his father.  
"It's a long-term project. Mark my words; five years from now, I'll be opening my own little nightclub."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Katsuya as nightclub owner...

He/Hauet: Many Egyptian deities were considered as having dual aspects; male and female. The syllables 'au' and 't' were used when referring to the female cunterpart. While both parts wielded similar powers and responsibilities, depending on which gender the deity took these abilities could orph drasticaly.  
It is also noteworty that, over the millenia, many gods transformed or were assimilated into newer ones.  
For more information, go here:  
https://www.ancient.eu/article/885/egyptian-gods---the-complete-list

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> °ba, *ka: The ancient Egyptians had a complex understanding of the soul. On one hand, there was the ka, the actual immortal soul which also reflected the charachter and body traits. This part was considered to be the alter ego. The ba is a spritual being able to traverse the barrier between life and death and has a vaguely similar concept as the Christian guardian angel.


	7. Kek, Kauket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More sciency stuff, as life for others continues normal..and some slurs.

_Kek, Kauket_

Rebecca Hopkins pouted.  
Here she was, slaving over tomes, browsing the web, rendevouzing with archaelogists, historians, antiques collectors, museum directors...  
Currently, she was at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, overseeing a conference call between the curator of the Matḥaf al-Iskandariyya al-qaumī in Alexandria, the Louvre in Paris, the Museum of London, the Mycenae Museum in Greece and, last but not least, Domino City's very own National museum.  
Ishizu looked..tired.  
Scratch that, she looked exhausted.  
Then again, neither Yuugi's grandfather nor any of his companions appeared to fare any better. Dark circles, heavy eyelids, slightly wrinkled clothes...  
It occured to Rebecca, that while in the Mid-Atlantic region most people were only just heading for lunch, Japan was already welcoming the new day.  
"So," stated Professor Husani El Masry,  
"we are discussing the possibility of an entire missing dynasty between the predynastic and the First Dynasty, am I correct?"  
Jean-Baptiste Lafayette, senior curator, pushed his glasses up and rubbed his eyes.  
"M'enfoi..that would mean, we would have to reevaluate the entire history..the timelines..meaning, that we might have to readjust even our calendric system..."  
"Not necessarily," interjected Arasto Pantasis, vice culture secretary,  
"if the dinasty only lasted one or two generations, it might be less than even a century. And by all means, it's not as if the Christian calendar weren't already a patchworked mess, right?"  
"Minna-sama, please," interrupted Sugoroku pleadingly,  
"timelines notwithstanding, we need to know wether or not between Qeek and Namer there was another king or kings, and if yes, some kind of war might have wiped them out."  
Glances were thrown from screen to screen, then El Masry cleared his throat and answered,  
"Fine, let us be frank: this possibility has been argued for years." Lafayette nodded.  
"Of course, but this mostly concerns the Intermediate Periods. And even there we will find mentionings, names or at least places. But this-"  
"Is a complete eradication of a dynasty. Or perhaps not a dynasty, but.." Pantasis paused.  
"What if there had been an event, a crucial event, that took place, and had such devastating consequences that the scribes, the pharao, just about everybody decided not to mention it? To literally erase it not only from history, but from their very people's memories?"  
Rishid narrowed his eyes.  
"You mean some sort of..public mindswipe?" he offered. Ishizu shook her head.  
"No, something that reached much further. Something like..like..."  
"A global electromagnetic impulse for the human brain", stated Arthur.  
Everything stopped.  
Neither one dared to move a muscle, leave alone blink.  
Then Sugoroku drew a deep, shuddering breath and hushed,  
"Arthur, are you even aware of the kind of power necessary to invoke an event of that magnitude?"  
Rebecca's fingers flew over the keys.  
"Approximately seven point eight million people populating the cusping Bronze Age world at 3500 B.C., including Mesoptamia, covering the Bosporus, Black and White Nile to Carthague, Niger, Iberia-" the clacking grew more frantic,  
"considering the common amount and quality of brain matter in the overall civilization and-" protesting squeaks resounded from her laptop, even as sweatdrops appeared on the young girl's forehead,  
"an estimated..in terms of..volcanic..eruptions.." She broke off, all colour draining from her face. The others gazed at her; a blend of quizicall and clearly worried.  
"Girl, what is it?" asked El Masry. Rebecca fought for air. Lafayette added,  
"Chère, if we are looking at an VEI 5 comparison-"  
Rebecca shook her head.  
"If you're thinking Mount St. Helens, think again." She stared sightlessly at her screen.  
"we are talking about Toba here."

After a little squabble, some sweat and a veritable °donburi-feast, Yuugi and Honda had left, even as Jounouchi senior had gone to meet with the landlord. Thus remained Jou and Ryou, who were left to clean up and alter the look of the living room.  
Well, at least Katsuya did, while his British friend stood to the side, watching.  
Ryou just couldn't tear his eyes off him.  
Had he been good-looking before, Jounouchi Katsuya had turned out to be a real hunk of a man.  
'From teenage heartthrob to full-grown beefcake', mused the Brit, as he watched the blond rearrange the newly bought couch and dining table.  
"Jaaa, Ryou, some help here?" asked Jounouchi and his visitor startled. Giving a coy smile, Ryou cooed,  
"But you are such a strong, healthy specimen of man. I'm certain you can fare much better without my meager help."  
Jou stared at him, then blinked.  
"I thought you were here to help"  
"I offer moral support. Yaayyy, team!"  
Gently lowering the table, Jou placed one work-roughened hand on its surface and growled,  
"Listen, you can either help, or I'll pound you through the floor."  
Someone should have told Jou that Ryou was related to a succubus. Because the look he gave the blond was beyond sultry, when he hushed,  
"My, my, that escalated quickly. Do you have a preffered position or do you just _roll_ with the punches?"  
A couple of inarticulate sounds crumbled out of Jou's mouth, and Ryou laughed.  
"Sheesh, your look is priceless. But seriously, I was just pulling your leg, chap."  
Jou stared for another solid minute, then frowned and grumbled,  
"Whatever. _Limey_." Ryou gasped in faux horror.  
"Well, I'll be! Where- how do you even know about that?" Jou smirked.  
"Hey, if it's an insult, I'll know it. Besides, I love me some dirty British humour." He squinted one amber eye at Ryou.  
"Twit." Ryou sniffled indignantly, then stated,  
"Tosser." "Wazzock." Wanker." Git." "Prat." Plonker." "Airy-fairy." The Brit scoffed.  
"That was absolutely uncalled for. Not all of us are related to Ruggers. _Nutter_." Jou pushed the tip of his tongue between his lips, pondering. Then he grinned and declared,  
"Knobhead." Pillock." "Err-skiver." Nice. Berk." "Jaa, lesse -chat-up." "Brass neck." The blond huffed, Ryou smirked.  
"Look who's talking", groused Jou, then snapped,  
"Scouser!" Ryou's jaw dropped.  
"Ok-wha- where -that is way below the belt line! How-I- do I even-arrgh!" he raged, and Jounouchi snickered.  
"Warned ya. If it's sex or insults, ya can't best me." His eyes shimmered as he threw Ryou a warm, friendly grin. Ryou puffed, glared a little at his friend, then shook his head.  
"If you weren't so - _fit_ +, I would have punched you for that." Jou shrugged.  
"Ne, seeing how I work out three times a week, it's-"  
"No, no, no, that's not what I mean, not at all. I mean.." He sighed, taking in Jou's puzzled look.  
"So much for the sex talk", he mumbled. Jou cocked a brow.  
"Mou itte?" Ryou rubbed his forehead.  
"No, just..nevermind." Jou patted him on the shoulder.  
"Ne, whatcha say, we got get some grub?" The Brit snorted.  
"Sure. Ever heard of a _Gentleman Sausage_?" he asked laconically. Jou shook his head.  
"Dame, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Besides, I'm starving, and I really could go for some meat, now."  
For as long as he lived, Jounouchi Katsuya would remember the utterly flabberghasted expression on Bakura Ryou's face.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
I had so much funny looking up these British slurs. Just..don't be a git and use them at random, or you might find yourself in a rather beastly argy-bargy.  
VEI=volcanic explosivity index: This table categorizes eruptions from 0-9. At the bottom of the scale are volcanoes that merely release lavaflows, smoke and 'hiccups'(Kilauea, Stromboli etc.). One hundred times stronger, the exceptions to the rule of the tenfold increase used for the remaining eruptions, are levels 1 and 2. At the top, and quite rare, are the so-called super volcanoes. Toba, which erupted some 75.000 years ago, triggered a chain of such cataclysmic force, it almost wiped out the entire human race. Hence Rebecca's trepidation. °donburi: rice bowl dish, covered with (mostly) simmered fish, meat and vegetables. And yes, the famous 'Katus-don' does also belong into this category of comfort food.

+fit: hot, sexy..nice save, Ryou 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_Explosivity_Index

http://www.vulkane.net/vulkanismus/vei.html

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kek, Kauket: probably the oldest gods of the Egyptian pantheon, represent the darkness before creation. Not necessarily malevolent, they are reffered to as 'Bringer of the darkness'(Kaueket, Twilight) and 'Riser of the light'(Kek, dawn)


End file.
